This is the very worst use of spin. At no other time is it more important to know the facts – and I don’t mean the vague jumble that comes out of a candidate’s mouth during a speech or debate.

Don’t get me wrong; I value messages. They help politicians or our clients communicate to their constituents in the most precise and direct way possible. But when a message is used to obscure events of facts, it becomes spin.

In politics, the repercussions of spin are most clear. Although it is possible to have a general sense of the candidates – after all, the grueling conditions of campaigning render it impossible for even the most superhuman and crafty of politicians to sustain an actual lie – spin robs the public of their ability to make an informed decision at the voting booth.

In the U.S., where our political divisions are a matter of degrees and politicians can seem interchangeable, the prevalence of spin is robbing us of political choice. — Brigitte Lyons